Winsor Mccay:the Master Editio

This is the third time around for the animated shorts of Winsor McCay on video and this is the best version by far. Those of you familiar with the previous Lumivision and Slingshot editions will find the same films as before only this time the source prints are better (for the most part), the piano music by Gabriel Thibaudeaux suits the material better, and the optional commentary from animator John Canemaker gives the necessary background on McCay and his films. For those of you not familiar with Winsor McCay (1867-1934), he was a celebrated comic strip artist whose principal strips LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND and DREAMS OF THE RAREBIT FIEND (that's Welsh Rarebit) were mainstays in the Hearst papers during the first decade of the 20th Century. The astonishing quality of the artwork and the imaginative scenarios employed were and still are a marvel to behold.

Between 1911 and 1921 McCay made a series of animated shorts almost entirely drawn by him. The most famous is GERTIE THE DINOSAUR from 1914 presented here for the first time in a copy made from a 35mm print. The initial offering LITTLE NEMO from 1911 was not only drawn by McCay (on rice paper!) but hand-colored by him as well. The propaganda film THE SINKING OF THE LUSITANIA (1918) remains one of the great achievements in animation history. While the quality of the animation is beyond reproach, some people may be surprised by the dark and disturbing nature of the Rarebit shorts THE PET and THE FLYING HOUSE (both 1921) and HOW A MOSQUITO OPERATES (1912). McCay saw animation as an artform and not as a vehicle for popular entertainment. This ultimately forced him to give it up once the likes of FELIX THE CAT took over in the early 20's.

As such these are not cartoons for children but serious films made with adults in mind and they still play better to them today (although my children were quite taken with them). If you have the previous editions you will want to acquire this one for the quality of the prints and the bonus materials. If you don't have them then buy this DVD now and introduce yourself to a true original whose influence on those who followed (especially Walt Disney) can be seen to this day. Winsor McCay was much more than a comic strip creator and an animation pioneer. He was truly a one-of-a-kind artist whose works like those of any great artist will continue to be an endless source of fascination for generations to come. If you get the chance, check out John Canemaker's coffee table book on McCay or any book that reproduces some of his comic strips. They will help to give you a more fully rounded picture of this unique talent.

It is almost sad to read the review below, and hear someone condescending the work of Winsor McKay as a curiosity from the dawn of animation. I am here to say nothing is further from the truth; this animation is some of the finest ever created, vastly outstripping the likes of anything you will see in the cineplex in 2006.

The first time I saw his dramatic rendering of the sinking of the Lusitania, it was an old 16mm print, projected in a private screening room. I was BLOWN AWAY. When the U-boat surfaces, the rippling waves and silhouettes of the soldiers on deck where hauntingly realistic. This film involved me emotionally in the Special FX more than anything in Return of the King to say nothing of most any other Hollywood tripe of late.

So, let's just bring this a little back to reality. Winsor McKay was nothing short of a genius. His portion of the "Masters of the American Comic Book" exhibit here in Los Angeles was hypnotic. No wonder the newest reproduction of his newspaper work is now sold out and selling for 250% of its retail cost on Amazon. If only there were more artists like him around now...

Dispite some obvious technical advances, this still ranks as some of the best animation ever done. It is simple to see how it influenced everyone from Miyazaki to Disney. In particular, the "centaurs" feels very much like a scene from Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke. This film also has scenes of Windsor drawing his figures confidently, which is nice to see. Some of the footage in between the cartoons gets a little corny, but educational nevertheless. It is also easy to see that from the start, animation had elements for adults, and elements that appealed more to kids. "The way a mosquito operates" almost looks like a classical Picasso drawing in motion, except with Windsor's quirky sense of humor which is really always present. If you are interested in animation, check out this dvd. Even if you're dissappointed you will definitely feel you've witnessed the foundation of it all.

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